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Six Nations: Reshuffling is one thing. England must be streetwise against Ireland

Ben Kay

Unless Eddie Jones’ team can summon some nous against canny practitioners such as Conor Murray, the changes will be little more than moving deckchairs on the Titanic

Ireland arrive at Twickenham as the NatWest Six Nations champions because they are the best organised, most accurate and most streetwise team in the tournament.

Eddie Jones has prepared for the challenge by performing radical surgery on his team, dropping five players and making ten changes in total to the side that started last week’s defeat by France.

These were not kneejerk, reactive changes. Jones has sought to address deficiencies in England’s game while countering specific threats posed by Ireland, more of which later. But reshuffling the personnel is one thing. England have to wise up or the selection changes will amount to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Unless they show some nous out there, Ireland will expose them horribly and leave Twickenham as…

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